Don’t stop us from playing the big boys pleads San skipper
SAN MARINO captain Mirko Palazzi disagrees with those who argue smaller nations should pre-qualify before meeting bigger countries in the ‘proper’ European matches.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sunday, right-back Palazzi said: “Against England or other great nations there is more desire from us because we can challenge players from the Champions League or the most important European leagues.”
Palazzi, 34, plays for Cattolica Calcio in Italy’s fourth tier.
He has spent much of his international career as San Marino’s only fully professional player.
The tiny landlocked nation of just 34,000 people currently finds itself rock bottom of the FIFA World Rankings.
Several UK pundits criticised England’s home qualifier against San Marino in March, arguing such uneven matches could be avoided if Europe’s minnows first played each other for the right to compete in the full qualifying rounds.
Ally McCoist and Jamie O’Hara were just two ex-players who believed the match was pointless. England duly won 5–0.
Palazzi naturally relishes the chance to face some of Europe’s greatest players.
But he believes the same is often the case for world stars wanting to line up against San Marino.
And he may have a point. “In the
Nations League we can compare better with the ‘small’ nations,” he said.
“But I think that even the ‘big’ teams are happy to play against San Marino.
“Poland striker Robert Lewandowski tries in every way to score goals to increase his numbers.”
Sure enough, the Bayern Munich ace has netted six goals in five career games against San Marino.
The minnows received plaudits for their second-half performance at Wembley in March.
They only conceded twice after half-time and Palazzi believes his team defended shrewdly.
He said: “In the match in March we covered the spaces in defence well and England’s most dangerous actions came when we were unbalanced going forward.”
San Marino have only won once in their history – in a 2004 friendly against Liechtenstein.
The part-timers will be heavy underdogs against England tomorrow night, but Palazzi feels they still deserve the chance to compete.
“I am 34 years old,” he said.
“At the end of my career I will be impressed by all my matches for the national team.
“They are emotionally different from a club match.”
STAT’LL DO NICELY: Lewandowski has six goals in five games against San Marino